Make Room
May our Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
bless our Holy “Yes” and our Holy “No”
The Blessing of “No”
It’s not a word we hear enough right now—
Children, begging their parents to say it
“Ghosting” culture, creating aching hearts
Plans pursued, left to nebulous land…
There is a deep blessing in “no—”
Psalm 16 lends the idea that
“My boundary lines have fallen
in pleasant places”
The oceans
Have been boundary-ed
By the tide
By the shoreline
Somehow our culture has left a
crucial friendship
With the word no.
Skirting around it with excuses—
As if it was a dirty word,
A word that caused pain
Or shut down
Or dismissiveness
But no—
Not always.
It frees us
For a better yes
May we learn to say no
With grace
And tact
And swiftness
May we learn to shut doors
So that we may walk through
The right ones
May we take courage
And heart
Knowing that our no
Brings a blessing
Of sorts
The bless-ed
Articulation
Of the “no”
Sings
Protection—
Of the sweetest kind.
It brings clarity—
It makes way for fun!
It’s the type of blessing
That brings that
Strong, passionate child
The sleep they require
To keep burning the next day
It’s the word that plans the party
Because other plans have been
Denied
It's the one
That breeds
Presence
Of the deepest kind
It helps us stay unscattered
It helps us finish a thing
It keeps us out of danger
Keeps us focused,
To finish
To the end
It’s the word of followthrough
Forsaking all others
For the One
May we live
In the blessing
And simplicity
Of the “no.”
The Blessing of “Yes”
(by Deborah Sun)
Do I look to Him when my day begins?
Am I intentional about what I say yes to
and when?
Do I jump out of bed and start another busy day,
Saying Yes to everything that comes my way
Help me leave room for appointments, Divine
The right kind of Yes, at the right time.
Yes to prioritizing time with God in a busy season…
His love for us, the reason
We celebrate His generous gift
His precious Son to Whom our hearts lift
Yes to those still, quiet moments your heart longs for…
To Jesus, open the door
To say yes to making room—
Making room for the One the season is for
The One we adore
Saying Yes to the best thing
Let us, our hearts bring
To Jesus, our yes,
Our unhurried best
To offer our hearts space
For His wonderous grace,
For the miracles of His love
To transform us to look like Him above
Enough quiet for His still, small voice
Leaving room for choice…
Leaving room for spontaneous joy and delight,
Room to look at the stars at night,
Room to see the One who created it all
And wonder at His love for us, so wide and so tall
Saying Yes to laughter with a loved one, instead of another thing on your list, and checking it done
Saying Yes to the Holy Spirit,
Instead of another store,
Saying Yes to His leading that may bring you to a hurting friend's door,
Yes to being present instead of running ahead—
Maybe lingering another moment in prayer before you get up out of bed…
So, I hope each tomorrow, that when we wake up, we choose
His best Yes for us and anything not on HIS list, we refuse
For His gifts to us include the blessing of “Yes” and the blessing of “no,”
And to the watching world we can show
Our unhurried pace,
As we seek His face,
Letting His light shine through us
As we give Him our calendars and trust.
The Blessing of His Yes-es are enough.
Let us pray: Father, breathe your Holy Spirit onto us so we may make room for You afresh this year. Bless us with your Holy “no” and your Holy “yes” so we may join You in Your Communion in rest. Amen.
Love,
Maggie & Deborah
